On the great Scottish question, the pro-Independents are getting very clever and persistent support from the anti-Independents.

This latter group dominated Scottish questions this morning, telling us that a vote for independence will result in a two-level downgrade by Moody’s, Scotland will be bounced out of sterling and abandoned by the Bank of England, a border effect will disrupt trade and cost Scottish households £2,000 apiece, their fishing industry will collapse, their 8 per cent deficit will balloon, growth will fail, they won’t be able to print their own money in time, business will flee south, and the country will enter into a perpetual Caledonian darkness sustained only by alcohol-free haggis.

All this strategic threatening comes mainly from the Government benches, and began, as Pete Wishart noted, with George Osborne’s “Sermon on the Pound”. This was supposed “to bring Scotland fearfully back into line”.

Naturally, it gave a tremendous fillip to the Braveheart Tendency in Scotland’s medieval psychology. Support for Independence has soared and now there is a real possibility Scotland will no longer be able to send us 60 Labour MPs. Never again a Labour Government in Britain.